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Under Construction
Under Construction is the debut album of American singer, Jake Tracey. The album was released on July 8, 2004, after being signed to Hollywood Records, this is the first album for Jake Tracey resulting from his departure from the short-lived Tracey Bros in 2002. The album spawned three successful singles, including "Under Construction (Get Ready to Rock)", placing at #1 on the US Billboard Dance charts, and placing at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Under Construction became a fair success on the charts, placing at #2 on the US Billboard 200, and it topped the Top Pop Albums. Eventually, the album was certified 2 times Platinum by the RIAA. Despite commercial success, the album initially received mixed reviews from critics and fans, who noted Tracey's vocals, but criticized the lyrical content and rushed nature. Singles: *Under Construction (Get Ready to Rock) - May 15, 2004 *Mars/Venus - June 6, 2004 *Too Obvious - August 10, 2004 *Imperfection - October 20, 2004 *Still - January 9, 2005 Background Jake Tracey's reported departure from the Tracey Bros. was revealed after alleged altercations between all members based on lack of attention on certain members. For both of their albums, The World Against Us ''and ''Tracey Squared, ''many in the group have claimed that Jake has been given most of the credit than the songs than the rest. This sparked heated arguments between the three. Therefore, Jake had decided to quit from the group and set his own goals for a solo album. After their departure in 2003, Tracey had already been offered to sign a recording contract with Hollywood Records after a guest star appearance on Disney Channel's TV series, ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. ''Jake had accepted the offered and signed the contract. The album Under Construction was in the works at that point. Recording and music When being signed to Hollywood Records for a 5-year contract, Tracey had began working on the majority of his album, writing over 7 songs overall by himself. When coming up with the title ''Under Construction, it was based off of Jake's music career and the act of building his career as a solo artist after leaving the Tracey Bros. The album contained more pop and dance elements with a dash of R&B styles in between. Nelson of Entertainment Weekly explained that 'through Tracey's departure from his family group, fans and listeners will get to hear a different style of Jake that hasn't been heard when he was 15 years old, now that he's 17 and starting, he's ready to show himself to the industry as a new artist.' Critical reception Under Construction ''recieved mixed to negative reviews from critics. At Metacritic, the album recieved an average score of 59 out of 100, based on 28 reviews. According to the review for Chicago Tribune, Walker wrote that the album serves as a rough start for Tracey, expressing that his vocals have not yet matured to prove to the industry that he is able to handle a full album of engaging, catchy, and breathtaking performance. Edward Cox of Entertainment Weekly claimed that while the album garners upbeat songs like "Under Construction (Get Ready to Rock)" and "Too Obvious", the album overall does not stand out in comparison to Tracey's works in the past with his brothers. Andy of AllMusic describes the album as obscure, explaining that the songs do not show any sense, and it is seemed to have been written in a childish, rushed manner. This may be based on Jake Tracey's independent writing, and considering that he was young, the lyrics were meant to play it safe for younger audiences. On the other hand, other reviews from ''Spin! ''consider the album a sign of a breakthrough from the Tracey Bros. In addition, according to ''The Guardian, ''describes the album as a start of a new era for Jake Tracey, but while it is a debut, a better and improved album is what is predicted. Commercial performance Jake Tracey's album, Under Construction, peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200 charts, and #1 on the Top Pop Albums. The album had sold 200,000 copies its first-week sales in the United States. Tracklist